An undefeated rural Virginia high school football team won a regional semifinal game last weekend in highly unusual circumstances: without their head coach, who police said had disappeared just two days before.
This week, authorities made the situation clearer just days before the next playoff game, saying Union High School's CoachTravis Turner is wantedon five counts of child pornography possession and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.
Police have been scouring the mountainous area for Turner, leaving a community grappling with allegations against a man trusted to teach high schoolers and lead a successful football team, which now presses for a potential state championship in his absence.
Here's what we know (and what we don't) about the investigation and search for the small-town football coach.
A weeklong search
While investigators were heading to Turner's home on November 20 in Appalachia, a western Virginia town of fewer than 2,000 people, they were told he wasn't at home, Virginia State Police said, without relaying who told them that.
Police toldlocal mediaover the weekendthat Turner was missing, but did not initially explain why they had visited his house. Turner's football team, knowing he had disappeared, played a regional semifinal game without him,winning 12-0to keep their season alive.
On Tuesday, state police announced the charges he is sought for, saying they obtained warrants for each count a day earlier. They have not released further details about the allegations.
Brett Hall, the commonwealth's attorney for Wise County, told CNN Wednesday over email his office "is aware of the ongoing investigation pertaining to charges against Union High School's head football coach" but can't comment further.
Turner, who was also listed as a physical education teacher at Union High School in a now-removed entry on the school's online staff roster, was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt, sweatpants and glasses, state police said. The agency hasn't shared any details about when or where he was last seen or who may have seen him last.
Union High School is located just outside the community of Big Stone Gap and a few miles southeast of Appalachia, the town where Turner lives.
In an email to CNN Tuesday, the Wise County Public Schools superintendent, Mike Goforth, said the district is "aware that law enforcement has filed charges against a staff member who has been on administrative leave."
Turner is not permitted on school property or to have contact with students, Goforth said.
Students and community members gathered for a prayer circle before kickoff Saturday, three days before the charges against Turner were publicly announced.
"No matter what's going on, we can count on our neighbors, and we can count on those God's put in our life, and we can count on our community to be bigger than the situation we're facing," Bryan Gunter, pastor of First Baptist Church of Big Stone Gap, said at the time,CNN affiliate WCYB reported.
Terrain poses challenges
Turner "went into the woods" near his home in Appalachia, Jason Day, an officer with Virginia State Police, told local TV stationWJHLover the weekend.
Since Turner's disappearance, authorities have used search and rescue teams, drones and police dogs to try to locate him, state policesaid this week.
But searching the area, nestled in a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, isn't easy.
Itsrugged topography, carved by rivers and forests with elevations that vary from low valleys to high peaks, makes for a challenging environment for search and rescue operations.
Outside of police dogs and foot traffic, authorities may need to rely on technology, like motion sensors left in an area of interest that send signals to the search team's base, or drones with heat-sensing abilities that can track movement, according to John Miller, CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst. That's not a perfect science, he notes, given all the activity such sensors pick up.
It is unclear how many resources are dedicated to the search overall.
"Once you're into man versus nature and wide open spaces, a lot of that hinges on the key dependency – what is the training experience and ability of the fugitive to operate in that environment?" Miller said.
"And we've seen both versions of that (in other cases), from people who were lifelong woodsmen and survivalists to people who had no background in camping and ran up into the woods and immediately ran up against the challenges of lasting."
If Turner is in the woods, weather could impact how he fares. Since his disappearance, the area has seen warmer than normal temperatures during the day and overnight – sometimes with light rainfall, but not enough to flood the area – according to CNN meteorologist Mary Gilbert. In the coming few days, Friday is expected to be the coldest, with highs just above freezing and lows in the upper teens. Some of the days after that offer potential for some icy, wintry weather and several rain chances.
Family is 'prayerful for his safe return'
When reached by CNN on Tuesday, Turner's wife shared a statement from the family's attorney, whom she identified as Adrian Collins.
"I speak today on behalf of Coach Turner's family. We remain prayerful for his safe return and for everyone affected by the circumstances surrounding his disappearance. We trust God to bring truth and clarity in His time. Any allegations should be addressed through the proper legal process – not through speculation or rumor," the statement reads.
The statement closed by asking for the family's privacy.
CNN has reached out to Collins for more information. CNN also sought comment from a person who is now serving as the interim head coach of Union High's football team.
Turner attended Appalachia High School himself, years before it was consolidated, along with Powell Valley High School, into Union High School in August 2011, according to reports by theBristol Herald Courier.He was a quarterback on the school's football team, coached by his father, Virginia High School League Hall of Famer Tom Turner, from 1994 to 1997, the newspaper reported.
Throughout his college career, Turner played football at Virginia Tech, Eastern Kentucky and the University of Virginia-Wise, the Bristol Herald Courier reported. He was then hired as head football coach at Powell Valley High School in early 2011, according to the newspaper.
As for the Union High team that Tuner coached until last week: It will play in aregional finalgame at home against Ridgeview on Saturday afternoon. If Union wins, it would advance to the Class 2 state semifinal on December 6, one step before the state final set for December 13.
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com
An undefeated rural Virginia high school football team won a regional semifinal game last weekend in highly unusual circumstances: without ...
